“Let’s not talk about this anymore… When will the ‘Pegasus Hour’ begin…?” Qi Xia snapped out of his thoughts and asked.
“It’s still morning now. I estimate it’ll start around noon,” Qian Wu replied. “We need to gather our belongings and head to the gate to prepare. After all, when the ‘Pegasus Hour’ arrives, most of us will scatter and flee—no one knows where we’ll end up.”
“I see…” Qi Xia pressed a hand to his forehead as he slowly got out of bed. Though he looked like he had slept through the night, exhaustion was written all over his face.
“Are you okay?” Chen Junnan frowned. “Old Qi… Any of us can die, but not you… If you die, it’ll be a real problem.”
“I’ll try not to die…” Qi Xia shook his head. “But my mind has been feeling… strange lately.”
“Don’t overthink it,” Qian Wu said. “Everyone, I’ll go rally all the ‘Cat Team’ members now. We’ll stick to the original plan—I’ll try to organize everyone to take down the ‘Pegasus’ first. If I fail, don’t bother coming back. Just run for your lives. We’ll meet again in five days.”
Hearing this, Qi Xia felt his mind gradually clearing, as if he could finally think straight again.
“Qian Wu… something doesn’t feel right…” Qi Xia clutched his hair, enduring the headache. “This plan to kill the ‘Pegasus’… it feels off…”
“Well, no one’s ever tried it before,” Qian Wu sighed. “After all these years in the ‘Land of the End,’ this is the first time I’ve felt so uncertain about the future. I don’t know what path lies ahead, nor if I’ll even get another cycle.”
“Maybe you should just run too…” Qi Xia said. “I think we need to reconsider this carefully…”
“I’ve run long enough,” Qian Wu replied. “Now that all of you powerful people are gathered here, it’s time for me to make the ‘Cat Team’s’ true decision. We’ll start with the ‘Pegasus’ this time—no matter the outcome—and our next target will be ‘Xuanwu.'”
Qi Xia stood up abruptly and grabbed Qian Wu’s arm.
“No… Qian Wu,” Qi Xia said, gripping his own hair. “According to the rules of the ‘Land of the End,’ the ‘Pegasus Hour’ is the ‘Pegasus’ game. If you try to kill the referee mid-game, ‘Xuanwu’ will appear immediately.”
“Then I’ll already be dead,” Qian Wu said. “Just like when I killed the centaur in the starting room—the ‘killer’ dies, and even if the ‘enforcer’ shows up, there’s nothing to be done. The dead are the safest.”
Though Qian Wu’s reasoning seemed flawless, Qi Xia couldn’t shake his unease.
Would a rare ‘Heaven-level’ really be treated the same as a ‘Human-level’?
The group packed their belongings, each shouldering a tattered backpack, and gathered in the prison yard. Qian Wu gave each of them brief instructions. Fortunately, most of the ‘Cat Team’ members who hadn’t ‘echoed’ yesterday had now awakened their abilities in the solitary confinement rooms—only Bai Jiu, the ‘Liquifier,’ and a few trainees remained ordinary.
But according to Qian Wu, Bai Jiu’s ‘echo trigger’ was ‘utter exhaustion.’ Even if he hadn’t awakened yet, the frantic sprinting during the ‘Pegasus Hour’ would likely push him over the edge.
After giving his orders, Qian Wu had everyone hide in the yard’s blind spots to avoid the ‘Pegasus’ spotting them poised for battle, which could lead to complications during the ‘assassination.’
Qi Xia glanced up at the sun and saw it was nearly at its zenith.
“The ‘Pegasus Hour’ begins at noon…” Qi Xia pondered, arriving at a simple conclusion. “Because it’s the ‘Hour of the Horse,’ the ‘Pegasus Hour’ likely refers to ‘noon’—between 11 AM and 1 PM. A full two hours.”
Realizing this, Qi Xia felt a surge of danger.
Earlier, Chen Junnan and Qian Wu had mentioned the ‘Pegasus Hour’ lasting about one or two hours—meaning his deduction was probably accurate.
Forcing ordinary people to sprint nonstop for two hours, with death as the penalty for stopping, would undoubtedly lead to an extremely high mortality rate among ‘participants.’
It was already noon on the fifth day, and most ‘participants’ remained unaware of the impending ‘Pegasus Hour.’ Even if they managed to run for two hours, many would collapse from dehydration or exhaustion, unable to move.
Worse, a significant number were likely still trapped in ‘game arenas,’ where they’d be instantly killed with no chance to escape.
“What a merciless ‘hour,'” Qi Xia muttered.
No sooner had he spoken than two figures appeared at the end of the street—one old, one young. From afar, it was unmistakably the ‘Pegasus’ and the ‘Tiger.’
The ‘Pegasus,’ frail and hunched, moved with staggering steps yet covered several meters in a single stride, dragging the diminutive ‘Tiger’ swiftly toward the prison.
“They’re here,” Qi Xia said.
Qian Wu nodded and turned for one last look at the group. “Everyone, see you in five days.”
All ‘Cat Team’ members silently saluted him, watching as he stepped out of the prison.
At that moment, Luo Shiyi and Qiu Ershi exchanged glances, each tucking a dagger into their belts.
“Goodbye, everyone,” Luo Shiyi said softly before following Qian Wu out.
“Hey… ‘Painless,’ ‘Provoker’…” Qiao Jiajin blinked. “You two…?”
“Got a mission. Can’t join the fun run this time,” Qiu Ershi said with a smile. “Brother Qiao, see you next time—if fate allows.”
He gave them a nod and followed Luo Shiyi.
“You got this!” Qiao Jiajin called. “‘Painless,’ ‘Provoker’—I know you’ll pull it off.”
After three steps, Luo Shiyi paused and turned back. “Hey, you said you’d remember me. Who am I?”
Only then did Qiao Jiajin realize his mistake and quickly corrected himself. “Sorry, you’re not ‘Painless.’ You’re ‘Forget-Sorrow.'”
“Exactly.” Luo Shiyi waved before resolutely marching out with Qiu Ershi.
Qi Xia’s heartbeat quickened. Luo Shiyi and Qiu Ershi were clearly the team’s most capable fighters. If he had to guess, their mission wasn’t to ‘kill the Pegasus’—it was to ‘kill Qian Wu.’
Regardless of success, they wouldn’t be coming back.
After all, the ‘Pegasus’ wasn’t alone—the ‘Tiger’ was with him.
Even if the child looked no older than four or five, he bore the title of ‘Tiger.’ No ordinary person stood a chance against him.
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